Title: Remember
Author: Lament
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Fandom: CSI
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine. Sigh.
Author's Notes: This is a little sappy one-shot that came from a challenge I issued on Talk CSI. Thanks to shacky20 for reading my rough draft and convincing me it wasn't just maudlin mush.
Summary: Remembering the important moments.

***

"Our anniversary? Anniversary of what?"

Greg jumps slightly and spins around to face the newly-arrived Nick. Tossing his cell phone onto the couch, Greg says, "Nicky. Hey."

Nick narrows his eyes and shakes his head slightly. "Anniversary of what, G? What'd I miss?"

Flashing a thin smile, Greg says, "What?"

Nick takes a step forward. "You were just on the phone telling…someone that I missed our anniversary."

Greg clears his throat. "I was just talking."

"No you weren't."

"Yeah I was."

"No you weren't." Nick folds his arms across his chest and gazes intently into Greg's eyes. "What anniversary?"

Greg runs his fingers through his chaotic hair. Glancing at the ceiling, he bites his bottom lip and says, "It's the anniversary of our first kiss. Okay?"

Nick lets out a laugh. "You wrote down the day of our first kiss?"

Greg stares at Nick for a long moment, his mouth hanging open. Then wordlessly, he stalks into the kitchen.

Letting out a breath, Nick rolls his eyes and follows. "Greggo," he says as he pushes through the swinging door, "Come on. I didn't mean to laugh."

"Whatever," Greg says, propping himself heavily against the mock marble surface next to the sink.

Nick walks over to Greg and leans against the counter. "I'm sorry, man. I am."

"It's no big deal," Greg says, gazing fixedly at the chrome faucet.

"Obviously, it is," Nick says. With his index finger, he reaches up and combs through Greg's hair.

Greg reaches up and swats at Nick's hand. "I was talking to an old girlfriend, and it just came up."

Nick cocks his head. "Well, you didn't pull the date out of the air, G. So it obviously means something."

Letting his shoulders sag, Greg says, "I don't know. Maybe."

"G, I'm sorry," Nick says, caressing Greg's cheek. "I didn't know that kind of thing mattered to you."

Greg lifts his head up and stares at Nick. "Why doesn't it matter to you?"

"I never said it didn't, G."

Standing up straighter, Greg snaps, "You laughed at me."

Nick runs his tongue along his bottom lip. "Look, G," he says. "I didn't mean to laugh."

Greg shakes his head. Leaning forward, he says, "What? It was an accident?"

"I wasn't laughing at you." Nick glances over Greg's shoulder. "It just slipped out."

Greg swallows. "You know, Nick, I know the anniversary of our first kiss, our first date, the day we met, the day we made love for the first time…and you think that's laughable."

Nick inches his body closer to Greg's. "No, I don't, Greg," he whispers. "I was just surprised. I mean, come on. My sister has to remind of my mom's birthday every year. I can't tell you what day I graduated from high school. I think I moved to Las Vegas in the summer, but I don't remember. I don't have a good mind for dates."

Greg walks across the room. "Doesn't our history matter to you at all?"

Nick stares at Greg for a long moment. Rapping the counter with his knuckles, he takes a step forward. "Does our history matter?" he says. Closing the physical distance between them, Nick stops just short of colliding with Greg. "Does our history matter? The day we kissed for the first time, it was blazing hot outside. You were off from work, but I had to go to court that day. I had just gotten home, and you were waiting for me. I remember you kept playing with my tie, and it was driving me crazy because I still wasn't used to being that close to you. You were wearing a gray and blue t-shirt that said, 'Einstein is Nothing Compared to Me.' You made some iced tea and we sat in my living room in front of a portable fan because my air conditioning was on the fritz. You started laughing at some guy on television who was wearing an obvious toupee, and you dripped iced tea all over your shirt. For some reason, I thought that was so damn hot I had to kiss you, and so I did, and after we came up for air, you said…"

For a few seconds, Greg stares at Nick, open-mouthed. Finally, he smiles and says, "I said you needed to shave."

Nick grins broadly. "Yeah," he says, running his index finger along Greg's bottom lip. "So, you still think our history means nothing to me?"

Beaming, Greg shakes his head. "I'm sorry I doubted you," he says, looping his arms around Nick's neck and pressing his lips to Nick's lips. "Happy anniversary, Nicky."

"Happy anniversary, Greggo." Nick leans into the kiss, gently tracing Greg's teeth with his tongue. After a few seconds, he pulls back. "So, G," he says, narrowing his eyes. "Tell me about this old girlfriend."

***